Meet the GRBees: Downtown convention center now has its...

1of 13If you hear a little more buzzing in downtown Houston there is a good reason. A few extra thousands workers are hard on the job making the city a little brighter. On the Rusk Street balcony at the George R. Brown Convention Center overlooking a brightly-lit view of downtown Houston reside tens of thousands of honey bees, tasked with making the convention center self-sustainable.Photo: Houston First

2of 13The buzzy project, which kicked off on Sept. 24, is a collaboration between the catering team lead by Chef Dominic Soucie with assistance from Dr. Juliana Rangel from the Texas A&M department of entomology, one of the foremost authorities on bees. "We currently have four colonies installed with the potential for six total," Chef Soucie said.Photo: Houston First

3of 13The Harris County Beekeepers Association and the Texas Beekeepers Association are lead educators in the project, using the convention center as a classroom of sorts. The balcony is under lock and key but it can be seen from inside the convention center and the nearby Marriott Marquis.Photo: Houston First

4of 13HONEY BEE FACTSThere are about 2.68 million honey-producing colonies in the United States. Source: National Honey BoardPhoto: Getty Images

5of 13It takes about 2 tablespoons of honey to fuel a bee's flight around the world. Photo: Getty Images

13of 13A drone's only purpose is to mate with the queen. Photo: Frank Greenaway/Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley

If you hear a little more buzzing in downtown Houston there is a good reason. A few extra thousands workers are hard on the job making the city a little tastier.

On the Rusk Street balcony at the George R. Brown Convention Center overlooking a brightly-lit view of downtown Houston reside tens of thousands of honey bees, tasked with making the convention center self-sustainable.

The buzz project, which kicked off on Sept. 24, is a collaboration between the catering team lead by Chef Dominic Soucie with assistance from Dr. Juliana Rangel from the Texas A&M department of entomology, one of the foremost authorities on bees.

"We currently have four colonies installed with the potential for six total," Chef Soucie said.

The Harris County Beekeepers Association and the Texas Beekeepers Association are lead educators in the project, using the convention center as a classroom of sorts. The balcony is under lock and key but it can be seen from inside the convention center and the nearby Marriott Marquis.

"Honey bees are starting to die because of urban development so this is a good chance to bring them back," he said. These bees will likely "commute" up to six miles around Houston to pollinate plants and flowers.

Soucie, who spent the past five years as the executive chef at Minute Maid Park just steps away, is excited to use the honey in the food he makes for guests. He works for the Chicago-based Levy Restaurants, the food service provider for GRB, and other city-owned properties managed by Houston First Corporation.

"I'm looking to use it in dressings and sauces," the chef said. "Pretty much anything where I can use honey as a substitute I will use it."

The colonies are the first part of an urban farming initiative to make GRB self-sustainable. Soon the bees will be joined by herb and botanical gardens, with the offerings from those gardens also set to be used by Soucie and his team.

GRB and Houston First said in a statement that the bees show a commitment to sustainability on their part. They also reiterated that there is no need to fear stings from these bees either.

"Honey bees are non-aggressive and primarily focus on pollinating plants," they said in a statement. "However, they are often confused with more aggressive insects such as wasps, hornets and yellowjackets."

Soucie has high hopes for what the balcony could bring to the downtown convention center.

"The balcony will eventually be the hub of sustainability for us," Soucie said. Eventually the bee's wax will be used in lip balm that will be given out to potential convention center clients. Once the bees get to work, the possibilities could be endless.

"It's something that makes us memorable," Soucie said. "It's uniquely Houston and it sets us apart from other cities."

From a GRB perspective it opens up a new avenue of customers and conventions who might be attracted by a convention center that has begun truly visible sustainable initiatives. Having a downtown convention center that can brag about being truly "farm-to-table" is something worth striving for.

Soucie joked that he's already asked about raising his own beef on site.